Battlerite Royale, The MOBA/Battle Royale Hybrid, Goes Free To Play

Stunlock Studios has moved the game out of Steam Early Access making it a free download, also releasing a "BIG PATCH" that introduces three new champions, two new areas, and various regional objects to different parts of the map. Turbo Speed, The Armory, and Overload are also new features which have been integrated into the gameplay.

The announcement was made via Twitter on Wednesday, with the devs providing a link from which the game can be downloaded at no cost.

The new patch has also brought a new Battle Pass to the fore, giving players a free pass and the option to upgrade to a premium one that is able to unlock exclusive cosmetics. The All Champions Packs for Battlerite and Battlerite Royale both cost $20.

As for the new champions, they come in the form of Oldur, who can bend space and time, Taya, who can summon tornados, and Pearl, a character who can wield control over the ocean and unleash its fury.

The new areas are the Frozen Plateau and Trade's Islet. Players will also be able to buy the Legendary Adventure Pack 2, which boasts a novel mount.

“We know that our community has been looking forward to the free-to-play launch of Battlerite Royale for months and we are thrilled that this day has finally arrived!” Stunlock Studios' marketing director Johan Ilves announced.

"Today we are also releasing the BIG PATCH so both Arena and Royale players can expect lots of new features, taking the Battlerite universe to the next level."

Battlerite Royale was announced as a new game mode set to show up in Battlerite in May of last year. But it spun off as an entire game that players could purchase for Early Access.

This does seem like a pretty sound decision from Stunlock, given the competition from games such as Fortnite and Apex Legends. Overwatch's drop in price is likely to make things difficult for them as well, so going free to play was probably the best option.